Yorkshire Dales Wedding At The Devonshire Fell, Burnsall | Jenny & Matthew

Ceremony: The Church Of St John The Baptist, Adel, Leeds
Reception: The Devonshire Fell Hotel, Burnsall, North Yorkshire

 

Would you believe it? This was the 4th sunny weekend in a row and it's still only April. How long will it be before the hose-pipe ban?

Well, it was the day after the Royal Wedding and we were at the church where Kate (sorry, Catherine) Middleton's grandparents were married, the beautiful and very old (11th century, apparently) St John The Baptist's at Adel, Leeds. Once again, we were blessed, not only with the weather, but also with a wonderful vicar, who allowed us free reign with the photography throughout the ceremony (he even said we could use flash if we wanted - unheard of anywhere else!

Jenny looked amazing, although the gusty wind played havoc with her veil. The lads, unusually, had hats and gloves, which you sort-of assme everyone has on their wedding day but in all the weddings I've photographed, this is the first one where the groom & groomsmen have had hats to contend with. In fact, no-one was quite sure what to do with them at all!

From the church, it was quite a drive up to the picture postcard village of Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales. We met Jenny & Matthew at the famous bridge over the River Wharfe, which featured in the film "Calendar Girls", and, despite the stiff breeze, managed to get some lovely shots of the pair of them before making our way up to the Devonshire Fell Hotel, perched on a hillside overlooking the village, for the reception. 

This is another of my top ten favourite venues - fabulous location, great food and friendly professional staff - highly recommended.

Congratulations and thanks to Jenny & Matthew for an absolutely fantastic day's photography!

Sandburn Hall Wedding | Jo & Tom

Bride & Groom's Preparations: The Royal York Hotel, York
Ceremony & Reception: Sandburn Hall, Flaxton, York 

The glorious weather continued for a third consecutive weekend- unbelievable for April! It was really hot when I arrived in York and, with it being Easter Sunday, the city was buzzing with tourists.

Jo & Tom were getting ready at the impressively grand Royal York Hotel, adjacent to York Railway Station.

After a quick visit to Jo's room to say 'Hello', I left Gav with the enviable task of shooting the girls getting ready while I nipped next door-but-one to do the same with a considerably more nervous Tom.

Needless to say, it wasn't long before the lads were down in the bar, attempting to keep Tom occupied. Unfortunately the following conversation didn't help calm his nerves.

TOM: "I don't know why I feel so nevous!"

FRIEND: "That's because everyone you know will be there and absolutely anything could go wrong!"

A beautifully restored classic 1950s coach arrived to take the guests to Sandburn Hall for the ceremony & reception (always great for the photos!) and everyone piled on. I don't think Tom's nerves were helped by the traffic being at a virtual stand-still on the A64 but we still arrived in plenty of time and the bus returned to collect Jo and the girls.

Jo looked amazing in her 1960's retro-styled dress, with matching beehive and false eyelashes and she made her entrance to The Beatles' "Something".

The first dance was unusual. The couple danced to a karaoke version of "I Got You Babe", sung (and I use the term loosely) by a large group of friends and relatives. This was closely followed by a bizarre rendition of the Kate Bush classic, "Wuthering Heights", which sounded more like the commentary to a horserace than a song.

So, in summary: Glorious weather, stunning bride, funny and entertaining speeches, nice venue and some nutty karaoke performances - I'd say that all adds up to a pretty good day!

Congratulations to Jo & Tom and thanks for a great day's "work"!